


A Lesson Learned

by nanuk_dain



Series: Drift Compatible [25]
Category: Pacific Rim (2013)
Genre: M/M, Nightmares, Team Hot Dads
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-03
Updated: 2014-11-03
Packaged: 2018-02-24 00:27:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,320
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2561297
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nanuk_dain/pseuds/nanuk_dain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Herc has to say his final goodbye to Stacker before the bomb run on the breach. It's even harder than he expected it to be.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lesson Learned

**Author's Note:**

> 1) This fic is as much dark and painful as it is fluffy, so bear with me, please! And yes, you're allowed to be confused when reading the first part of this fic - you'll see what I mean XD  
> And just to give you an idea how much more is coming, I just cracked the 50.000 words mark (about 40.000 are posted), and I'm still not done. Not bad, considering that I started writing exactly a month ago while working 6 days a week and at least 9 hours a day... (in case you're wondering, yes, I did get very little sleep XD)
> 
> 2) I want to thank you all for those amazing comments on the last part - you totally restored my faith in humanity and made me feel all happy for days! Now that's a motivating boost of my morale ^__^ *hands out homemade thank-you chocolate chip cookies*

  


 

***

 

[ ](http://ic.pics.livejournal.com/nanuk_dain/16335757/106079/106079_original.jpg)

_Hong Kong Shatterdome, January 12th 2025_

_"You will be Chuck's co-pilot, won't you?" Herc says quietly, watching Stacker standing in front of the mirror in his office, the red of his blood a stark contrast to the white of his shirt. Stacker catches his gaze in the mirror, holds it. There is a weariness in his face that Herc hasn't seen before. His heart sinks, although he already knew what was going to happen as soon as he was thrown across Striker's Conn-Pod._

_Herc feels the pain where his collarbone is broken and knows that he can't pilot. Crimson Typhoon is down, Cherno Alpha is down. There are only five Rangers alive with the ability to pilot a Jaeger, and Herc is out of the count due to his injury. That makes four. Mako and Raleigh, and Stacker and Chuck._

_"There is no other way." Stacker replies, saying what they both know. There are no pilots left, especially not any with Stacker's almost universal drift compatibility. The only way to deliver the bomb to the Breach is for Stacker to step into a Jaeger. There will be no coming back for him from this mission, either way._

_Herc walks across the room, comes up behind Stacker and leans against his back, wrapping his uninjured arm around his waist. He closes his eyes, presses his nose against the back of Stacker's neck and lets out a shaky breath. Stacker's hand comes up to cover his, warm and big and comforting._

_"It was supposed to be me." Herc's voice is so hoarse it almost breaks. He feels as if he is slowly being crushed under the weight of the knowledge that on this very day, he will lose his son and his life partner to the fight against the Kaiju. Then they will have taken every single person he ever loved from him. He wishes they had taken him, too._

_"I'd rather is was me." Stacker's words are very quiet but still firm. He knows how Herc feels because he's been in his place until just a few hours ago. He thought he had to watch him die on a suicide bomb run, along with Mako and Chuck, who are both like his own children to him._

_"Don't." Herc tightens his hold on Stacker and tries to rein in the pain that threatens to overwhelm him. Herc feels the lump in his throat grow until it almost robs him of the ability to speak. They have never said them, those three words, but yet there has always been a silent understanding that they're true. But right now it's not enough, Herc needs Stacker to_ know _, needs him to hear those three words as much as he himself needs to say them._

_"I love you, Stacks." His voice sounds stronger and calmer than he expected. It leaves no doubt that he means it, that it's the absolute truth. For a moment Herc can't understand why it took him so long to say it, why it took the certainty of imminent death to finally put in words what they have both known for years._

_Stacker turns around in his arms, never breaking the embrace, and catches his gaze. His eyes are dark with emotion, but he doesn't say a word. Instead his left hand comes to rest on Herc's chest, following the edge of the Henley. The buttons are undone, as always, and Stacker's fingers slip underneath the worn fabric. They feel warm against his skin, their touch gentle but sure, and Herc can't help the goose bumps that spread all over his body. The fingertips slowly trace along one of Herc's older drivesuit scars high on his right shoulder, along his collarbone and to the small tattoo high on his chest. There are just five letters in an ornamental but clear Gothic font. They're a little blurry around the edges in a way only the years can weather a tattoo, and they read 'Stacks'._

_Herc knows_ his _name graces the dark skin of Stacker's chest at the exact same spot on Stacker's left side, the same font, the same blurriness around the edges, just a day older than his own tattoo. It's hidden beneath the crisp white shirt Stacker is wearing, yet Herc's uninjured hand finds the spot as surely as if he could see it. His hand settles on the white cotton, his trigger finger slowly caressing the mark hidden underneath the fabric. He feels the smallest of shudders run through Stacker's massive frame, a reaction to his touch and the meaning behind it - his claim, his promise._ You belong to me. I belong to you. __

 _Stacker's hand wanders up the side of Herc's throat, then gently trails over his cheek, the fingertips catching on the two days worth of stubble. Herc smiles at the light rasping sound, at the warmth the touch sends through his entire body. He knows that Stacker loves the stubble, much more than when the skin is clean shaven. Herc has seen, no,_ felt _it in drift, something Stacker has let him know on purpose. The clean shaven, neat Ranger Hansen is the perfect officer for the world to see; but the rough soldier with the ginger stubble is the man behind the façade, and he's the one Stacker loves. The revelation almost knocked Herc off his feet back then, and he felt Stacker's smug smile in the drift. Caitlin had asked Herc why he'd spiked, but Herc resolutely refused to answer._

_The memory makes him smile, and he knows Stacker is thinking about it too._

_"Come here." Herc murmurs and steps closer again, pulling Stacker with his unhurt arm, burying his nose against his throat. He feels Stacker's strong arms wrap around his waist, tightening until there's absolutely no space left between their bodies. The embrace is warm and comforting, familiar and safe. Herc tries to rein in the words that lie heavy on his tongue, but they escape him before he manages. "I can't lose you, Stacks."_

_Herc feels Stacker tense in his arms. He hasn't wanted to say that, because it's futile, and they both know it. There's no coming back from this mission. And even if there was, the cancer that's slowly eating Stacker up from the inside is a fact that can't be denied. There has never been a happily ever after for them._

_Stacker pulls him closer, if that's even possible, and touches his nose to Herc's ear before he replies, "You can always find me in the Drift."_

_Herc presses his nose against the soft, warm skin of Stacker's neck, taking a deep breath, trying to imprint his scent in his brain to never forget it. "It's not the same."_

_Stacker's hands draw a slow, absent-minded pattern on Herc's back. His voice rough with unspoken emotion, his breath warm against Herc's ear. "I know."_

_There's nothing else to say, and their time is running out. Already the announcements has called for the crews and pilots of Gipsy Danger and Striker Eureka to get ready. Herc blocks it all out, determined to make the most of this last private moment he has with Stacker. This is their goodbye, and they both know it._

_Stacker presses a lingering kiss to his temple, then he brings his lips close to Herc's ear and whispers, "I love you too, Hercules Hansen. Have ever since I first met you."_

_Herc draws a deep breath in surprise and squints his eyes shut against the emotions threatening to overwhelm him. He never expected to hear Stacker say those words, and they mean more to him than he can ever explain. He has to feel Stacker, one last time, and he doesn't hesitate to claim his lips in a long kiss fuelled by despair. Stacker opens to him immediately, tilts his head and welcomes his tongue with the same desperate intensity that Herc feels. He claws his fingers in the fabric of Stacker's shirt and revels in the frantic touch of Stacker's hands on his back._

_They pull back only slowly, reluctantly. Herc rests his forehead against Stacker's, and he feels their hectic breath mingling. How is he supposed to let go, knowing that he will never touch Stacks again?_

_It's only his sense of duty and the deeply ingrained discipline that make him let go of Stacker. He takes a deep breath and steps back resolutely. He needs the physical distance between them to regain his composure, to become the Marshal's second in command again, the man they need him to be right now. "Let's go get you suited up."_

_Stacker holds his gaze, and for a long moment Herc fears that he's going to say something more. But then he just nods and Herc lets out a relieved breath. He knows he won't be able to keep up his act otherwise. He needs the professionalism now. Yet he insists to accompany Stacker into the drivesuit room and he stays the entire time the techs suit him up. It's a sight he hasn't experienced in almost ten years, and Stacker still looks as majestic and impressive in his black Coyote Tango drivesuit as Herc remembers him._

_Once Stacker is suited up, they make their way to the Jaeger bay. Chuck doesn't know yet that he's going to pilot with Stacker and Herc knows it has to rub his nerves raw to_ not _know. Right before they step into the Jaeger bay, Stacker stops and turns towards him. His hand comes to rest on Herc's neck, pulls him close. He bends down and touches his lips to Herc's, slow, soft, and with so much feeling that Herc fears he will break. His hands find Stacker's side, wrap around the battle armour that is cold under his fingers, and just hold on. He closes his eyes, opens his mouth and actively challenges Stacker's tongue for one last encounter. There's a low groan coming from Stacker, almost stifled but not quite, and it makes Herc shudder. It has always been a huge turn on for him that Stacks reacts so strongly to him._

_It lasts for half a minute, maybe less, yet for this very moment, Herc feels as if they're the only two people in the world, never mind all the personnel milling all around them. This is their moment._

_Their last moment._

_They pull back simultaneously. Herc brushes his nose against Stacker's, rests his forehead against his for a moment, then he straightens and steps back. It takes all his strength and every last ounce of discipline to let go of him, and he can see in Stacker's eyes that he's not the only one fighting._

_"Let's go save the world." Herc says with a smirk, but his voice is rough and breaks around the edges._

_Stacker nods and transforms from the man Herc loves into the Marshal of the PPDC right in front of his eyes. His posture is impeccable and his every move conveys strength and confidence. Herc follows him into the Jaeger bay where Chuck, Tendo, Mako and Raleigh are standing together. Chuck isn't suited up yet and Herc knows it's because he doesn't know who his co-pilot is going to be. He understands immediately when he sees Stacker in his Coyote Tango drivesuit, though, and his gaze flickers to Herc. There's a question in his eyes - he understands, and yet he's confused. Herc nods at him and then turns his attention to Stacker when he begins speaking._

_It's a very good pep talk, short as it is, because the people are filled with renewed enthusiasm, hope and motivation once Stacker finishes. It's one of his many talents, to motivate people and to instil the believe that they can truly do it, that they can actually defeat the Kaiju. There are many very good reasons why Stacker is the PPDC's Marshal._

_Minutes later Herc finds himself following Chuck and Stacker who are on the way to the elevator that will bring them to Striker's Conn-Pod. He can't hear what Stacker is saying to Chuck's rather loud question how the heck they are supposed to match up in the drift, but whatever it is he says, Chuck shakes his hand a moment later and nods. Herc feels his throat close up when Stacker sees him, gives him one last long look and a private little smile that tells him all the things they can't say now. Then Stacker turns around to wait in the elevator, giving Herc and Chuck the little bit of privacy that's possible given the circumstances._

_Herc fights the wave of emotions that almost shatters his composure when he sees the glistering in Chuck's eyes. There's no bullshitting attitude, no fake bravado, no disappointed anger directed at Herc now, just honest sadness and regret, and a tad of fear. Chuck knows he won't be coming back._

_"How're you going?" Herc almost forces the words out. It's a stupid question, but he needs an opening, a moment to find his voice, because it threatens to fail him. "When you drift with someone, you feel like there's nothing to talk about. I just don't want to regret all the things I never said..."_

_"Don't. You don't need to." Chuck in on the verge of tears too, and it tells Herc more than a thousand words could have. "I know them all."_

_"I love you, Chuck, and I'm so proud of you." Herc says with a firm voice, needing to make sure that Chuck knows it. There are enough things he regrets, this isn't going to be one of them. So Herc reaches out and pulls Chuck into a short but heartfelt hug, willing him to understand all the things he doesn't have the words for. Relief washes over him when Chuck doesn't push him away, but instead allows the embrace, even returns it._

_Then Max barks, picking up on the anxious atmosphere, and Chuck kneels down to him and kisses him on the head. It breaks Herc's heart. When Chuck stands back up and turns to leave, there's a sincere little smile on his lips. "Catch you in the drift, dad."_

_It almost makes Herc choke, but he forces a smile and a nod. He can't speak, though, just watches his son and his life partner walk off together to certain death. When the doors of the elevator close, Herc stands rooted in place for a long moment, then he straightens, squares his shoulders and forces all feelings to the very back of his mind, out of the way, because now he's in charge and he has to do his very best. There is a lot at stake._

_The whole world as they know it, in fact._

_Herc enters LOCCENT only a minute later, Max by his side. He's all business now and does his job of leading the mission from this end. It's too easy, his gut tells him, when Striker and Gipsy reach the Breach without interference from the two Kaiju swimming around it. And then Geiszler and Gottlieb barge in, bringing the news that the plan won't work. That's why the Kaiju held back. They knew that the Breach was secure. But the two crazy geniuses bring a solution for the problem as well, even if it's anything but easy._

_Of course that's when everything goes to hell. A category V Kaiju - the first ever - emerges from the Breach, and suddenly there's no doubt anymore that this is a suicide mission. Gipsy gets mangled pretty badly and Striker is hit so strongly that the payload release mechanism gets jammed. Their run on the Breach is almost over before it has even come close to the target, and their main weapon is rendered inoperative. Herc can only listen in shock, the realisation setting in that things can't get much worse._

_Of course they can._

_It's when Herc hears Stacker order Gipsy to head for the breach that he knows they've reached the end of the journey. Stacker's voice comes over the comms, passionate and strong to that last moment. "We can clear a path. For the lady."_

_Chuck doesn't hesitate. He has the same strength as his mother, Herc thinks not for the first time. He'll do what is right, no matter the cost. "Well, like my father always said, he said, if you have a shot, you take it."_

_The words sound tinny over the comms, but they hit Herc like a punch in the stomach. He knows his son, he knows Stacker. He knows what they are going to do even before Tendo says it out aloud, sounding stunned and shocked._

_"They're going to detonate the payload."_

_There's so much Herc wants to say,_ needs _to say, so many things he should never have left unsaid. But it's too late, there's no time. Chuck knows that he loves him, Stacker knows that he loves him. It will have to do, although it will never be enough._

_Herc hears Mako over the comm telling Stacker that she loves him, and then the feed is cut. The sensors report to LOCCENT the massive explosion of the payload on Striker's back. Herc feels that hole opening in his chest again, something dark and empty that swallows whatever happiness he has known. He remembers the feeling only too well from when Angela died. He has to close his eyes for a second, needs that moment to regain whatever composure he can find left within him. He has to go on, lead those people, do what Stacker trusted him with. Mako and Raleigh are still out there fighting, and he can't abandon them now._

_They manage, they get into the Breach, literally riding Slattern's back. Then Raleigh ejects Mako in the escape pod, her oxygen is cut and he doesn't need her to finish the mission. Herc knows Raleigh wants her safe, wants to know she has a chance of survival, as small as it may be. He triggers the reactor malfunction, which of course doesn't work as planned - would have been too easy, Herc thinks with a grim set to his mouth - and Raleigh works his way over to the reactor hatch do self-destruct manually. After that, the only thing they all can do is wait and hope._

_"A direct hit! The breach has collapsed!" Tendo's voice is hollow with disbelief when he says those words, as if he's not sure he can trust in what the instruments tell him._

_Herc doesn't let the good news distract him from the important stuff. He turns towards the room, shouting, "Send the choppers! Send the choppers now!"_

_He'll be damned if he allows even one more person to die on his watch. Mako and Raleigh need extraction - if they're still alive. Herc won't make them wait._

_He turns to Tendo who's tracing Mako's escape pod which has just surfaced, her vital signs strong and healthy. At least one survivor, Herc thinks, and tensely waits for Raleigh's pod to appear on the screen. There's no telling if he has even managed to eject, nor if the pod has made it back through the breach in time before it collapsed, but Herc isn't willing to give up hope yet. He needs it to keep going._

_Then there it is, but the sensors give no vital signs. Herc listens to Mako telling them she can't find his pulse, and Herc hears the fear in her voice, feels it. Raleigh has to live, he's suddenly Herc's final straw. He can't die, because it would break him._

_Herc can't hide his relief when Raleigh's voice comes over the comms, muffled but there. It's then that the tension in LOCCENT eases, and Herc approaches the mircophone. Tendo gives him an encouraging nod. He seems to be the only one who remembers that Herc has just lost everything._

_"This is Marshal Hercules Hansen." It feels wrong, so wrong, to say those words. It should be Stacker saying them. "The Breach is sealed. Stop the clock!"_

_The room, no, the whole shatterdome explodes in cheering, in joy, in disbelief. People are hugging, giving each other high fives, laughing, crying, shouting. It's done. They have done it. In the moment the countdown stops, Herc knows that a new era has begun for the world, a new chance at life._

_At the same time he feels his own world finally collapse. He has lost everybody he loved. First his wife. Now his son and his life partner. There's nothing left for him in this world but a bull dog that will always keep waiting in vain for its master to come home. Herc takes a deep breath, trying to find some measure of strength in the joy and the hope of the people around him. He knows he will need it._

_There's nothing left for him in this world, but his duty isn't done yet._

***

 

Hong Kong Shatterdome, January 10th 2025

 

Herc jerks awake suddenly, his heart beating frantically, his skin covered in cold sweat.

He stares at the ceiling for a long second, trying to calm his breathing. He suddenly sits up and turns around, his gaze scanning the room for Chuck, needing proof that it has just been a dream. A nightmare of the particularly unsettling kind. One that could have been reality.

He finds Chuck sleeping on the bunk on the other side of the room. His breath is regular and deep, telling Herc that he's ok. No nightmares - not that Chuck would admit to it, but Herc _knows_ \- no restlessness, no pain whatsoever. Ever since that first drift with Raleigh - and whatever else they got up to afterwards - Chuck's sleep is calmer and more restful, Herc has noticed. As if he found a measure of peace he didn't have before.

Herc lets out the breath he hasn't been aware he was holding. With the relief comes determination. Stacker and Chuck in one and the same Jaeger, heading for certain death, a suicide mission with a thermonuclear bomb strapped to Striker's back, is the absolute worst scenario Herc can think of. No matter what, he won't let it happen. He won't let this nightmare actually become reality. 

The two most important people in his life killed in the same incident. He won't allow them to leave him behind. If the shit really hits the fan, then Herc will go out with them. He'd readily die fighting by their side, but not staying behind in LOCCENT, listening and watching them die, totally helpless. He has drifted with both Stacker and Chuck and the resident connection is always there, and in his dream he _felt_ them die - where they had been, there was suddenly a big void in his mind. He hadn't been able to do anything to save them. It was the worst feeling he has ever experienced. It was Angela's death all over again. 

He just knows he won't survive it a second time.

Back then, he had Chuck who he had to live for, and Stacker to support him. In his dream, he had nothing left. Victory just won't be worth anything without Chuck and Stacker. 

Suddenly seeing Chuck is not enough anymore. Herc remembers with crystal clarity the moment he'd lost Stacker. He feels the twisting of his insides again, so real that he needs to make sure that Stacker is all right, too. He has to see Stacker, has to feel him, touch him, assure himself that he's still there, still alive and breathing.

He has to tell Stacks those three words neither of them ever said, because he doesn't want to wait to the last moment. He doesn't want to miss his chance. Just like in his dream, Herc doesn't understand anymore why he has never said them before.

The urge is so strong that Herc doesn't think twice, he just gets up as quietly as possible as to not wake Chuck, puts on his pants and grabs his boots. He walks to the door on his socks and only puts his shoes on once he's outside in the hallway and the door is closed behind him. He knows exactly how loud those boots are.

The hallway is deserted at this late hour. There are only living quarters in this section of the shatterdome; LOCCENT, the mess and the Jaeger bays will be busier. Herc takes the fastest route to the Marshal's quarters, meeting only two guards on his way through the 'dome. He knows the way by heart, has walked it more times than he can count. It takes him only a few minutes, then he's knocking unceremoniously on the metal door, no matter that it's two in the morning.

Stacker opens the door on his fourth knock, his expression wide awake although he's wearing only boxer shorts and a t-shirt which tells Herc that he has been in bed. He was obviously expecting a kaiju-related emergency, and he relaxes ever so slightly when he sees Herc's sleep rumpled condition. Herc knows his hair is probably sticking out in whatever direction, his t-shirt has obviously been slept in, and his boots aren't fastened correctly.

Stacker looks at him for a second, takes in his appearance and the haunted look in his eyes, and frowns. "Herc? What happened?"

Now that he's face to face with Stacker, Herc just stands in the doorway and feels so lost. There's so much he wants to say, yet he finds no words.

Stacker seems to get it, steps aside to let Herc in and closes the door behind him.

"What happened?" he repeats, this time his voice is gentle and the worry is obvious. Herc has never done that before, show up in a condition like this in the middle of the night, and he is aware that it worries Stacker.

"Bad dream." Herc admits without hesitation. He knows Stacker understands, won't mock or tease him. He has a fair share of bad dreams of his own, Herc learnt a long time ago.

"The real kind?" Stacker asks quietly, 

"Yeah." Herc lets out a shaky breath, has to close his eyes for a moment. "Very real."

"Come here." Stacker mumbles and pulls Herc into an embrace. Herc wraps his arms around him as tight as physically possible and buries his face against his neck. Stacker's arms close around him in response, and oh god, it feels so good to know him alive. Herc doesn't think he will ever be able to forget that moment when he heard the bomb explode, when the feed was cut once and for all. 

"I love you, Stacks." He has said it before he can even make the conscious decision to do so. "And I don't care how bad things are going to get, we're going to face and fight them together. Don't even think of leaving me behind."

"I may think it, but I will never do it to you." Stacker replies quietly, pressing a lingering kiss to Herc's temple. "I know too well what it means to stay behind when the people you love deploy to fight, and you're not there to have their back."

Herc swallows hard, realising just what it does to Stacker to watch him go out in Striker to fight Kaiju while he has to listen from LOCCENT, with no real power to interfere. Only now that he's been in his shoes in that horrible dream does Herc _really_ get it, on a level that's not logical but entirely emotional.

Herc pulls back just enough to look at Stacker. "I don't know how you do it."

Stacker is quiet for a moment, then he sighs. "It's the only way I can keep fighting. And I'd rather stand in LOCCENT than not be there at all."

Herc nods slowly. He understands it completely, and he knows he'd do the same thing were their roles inverted. The only difference is that Stacker is good at what he's doing, he can juggle politicians and military leaders and still be every inch the fighter he was in a Conn-Pod. He's highly respected because he is truly devoted to the war against the Kaiju and isn't in it for the politicking and the power. Herc has wondered from time to time what would have become of the PPDC if Stacker hadn't taken over it's leadership. Men like Stacker are hard to find. 

"I hope you know what it means - not just to me, to all of us in the PPDC - that you keep fighting." Herc cups Stacker's strong jaw and looks him in the eyes, trying to convey all the feelings he doesn't know how to put in words. "I don't know what I would do without you here."

Stacker smiles that private little smile only very few people ever get to see before he touches his lips to Herc's. "Thank you, Herc."

They stand in Stacker's hallway for a long moment, wrapped into each other's arms, taking comfort in the presence and the closeness of each other. It's one of the things they never do enough, Herc thinks and lets his hands draw meaningless patterns on Stacker's back.

"Come to bed." Stacker says at some point. He doesn't Herc ask if he wants to stay, he simply takes his hand and guides him to the bedroom. Herc sheds his boots and pants, not really caring where they land. Then he pulls off his t-shirt because he needs to feel Stacker's skin, warm and real, against his own. 

Stacker seems to get it and his t-shirt joins Herc's on the ground before he settles between the sheets and then holds them open for Herc to join him. There's no hesitation on Herc's part. He curls around Stacker, one arm wrapped tightly around his waist, the other hand resting on Stacker's left chest, right over the tattoo that spells Herc's name. The skin is elevated ever so slightly, and Herc's fingertips pass over the markings in a gentle caress.

He hides his nose against Stacker's neck, closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, inhaling Stacker's scent that he loves so much. It calms him down, allows his mind to find its way back into reality. It's what he needs right now.

Stacker cuddles against him, then he entwines their fingers and pulls Herc's hand up to his mouth to press a lingering kiss to his knuckles. It's one of those loving gestures Stacker only shows him when they're alone, and Herc cherishes each one of them. 

"I love you too, Herc." Stacker's voice is the low, mesmerizing timbre that comes from deep within his chest. Herc loves it when he sounds like that. "I already fell for you in Afghanistan."

It's almost freaking him out how the words seem identical with what the Stacker of his dream said. It's the real, honest emotion behind the words that keeps Herc grounded in the here and now. 

He touches his lips to the back of Stacker's neck, stays there for a long moment. "Took us long enough to say."

He feels Stacker nod slowly. "It's been almost ten years since you kissed me in the Academy's Kwoon."

Herc tightens his arms around Stacker and presses as close as possible. "I'm glad I did." 

"So am I." Stacker's voice has that dark, rough quality again the Herc can never get enough of and it wraps around him like a soothing blanket. "Try to get some sleep, Herc. We have a long day ahead tomorrow."

Herc closes his eyes and inhales Stacker's scent again. "Thank you, Stacks."

"Always." He can hear Stacker's smile in his voice and it makes him feel warm all over. He feels at home with Stacker, no matter where they are. It only hardens his determination that whatever the future brings, Herc will not let Stacker or Chuck face it alone. He will be right by their side, no matter what.

They're his family. They're his to protect.

**Author's Note:**

> For all of you who are wondering about those tattoos, there's a whole storyline leading up to them, and I'll post it as soon as it's done (it's several fics). And in case you didn't see it the first time, go back to have another look at the manip ^___^


End file.
